The United Arab Emirates has restored its skies to “normal status” after the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) revoked every precautionary NOTAM that had been in force since the outbreak of the United States-Israel confrontation with Iran in late February. In a statement released at 02:00 (GST) on 3 May, the GCAA confirmed that risk assessments conducted with military and security partners found “no remaining operational justification” for altitude caps, route deviations or airline-specific curfews.
![UAE lifts all air-traffic restrictions imposed during the Iran conflict]()
For companies and individual travellers needing to arrange last-minute entry permits or multiple re-entry visas in light of the resumed flight schedules, VisaHQ can streamline the process. Its UAE portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) offers up-to-date requirements, digital document uploads and concierge support, helping mobility teams cut lead times and avoid compliance pitfalls.
For corporate mobility teams the move ends six weeks of complex re-routing and surcharge management. Both Emirates and Etihad had been funnelling wide-body traffic through congested southern corridors, adding up to 90 minutes to East-West sectors and forcing last-minute crew and hotel changes. Forwarders estimate that each diverted Doha-Dubai freight flight cost shippers US $12,000 in additional fuel and over-flight fees. Normalisation also re-opens the UAE’s role as a regional hub for reconstruction traffic into Iraq and humanitarian lift to Lebanon. Qatar Airways and Kuwait Airways said they would reinstate full schedules on 10 May, while low-cost carrier flydubai plans to restore 28 suspended rotations this week, contingent on airport slot approvals in Tehran and Baghdad. Insurers have already signalled that war-risk premiums on aircraft transiting UAE airspace will drop from 6 % of hull value to the pre-crisis level of 1.2 %. Business travellers can expect a rapid return of connection banks at DXB and AUH. Emirates will relaunch its pre-6 am Europe-Asia “golden wave” from 5 May, reinstating same-day links that are critical for energy, finance and consulting firms moving staff between London, Frankfurt, Mumbai and Singapore. Mobility managers should nevertheless monitor duty-of-care advisories; the GCAA warned it will “not hesitate to re-impose targeted measures” if intelligence assessments change. HR specialists should update travel policies to remove the mandatory buffer nights that many companies introduced during the crisis. They should also remind assignees that, under UAE federal law, overstaying a visa because of flight cancellations is no longer automatically excused now that unrestricted departures are available.
For companies and individual travellers needing to arrange last-minute entry permits or multiple re-entry visas in light of the resumed flight schedules, VisaHQ can streamline the process. Its UAE portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) offers up-to-date requirements, digital document uploads and concierge support, helping mobility teams cut lead times and avoid compliance pitfalls.
For corporate mobility teams the move ends six weeks of complex re-routing and surcharge management. Both Emirates and Etihad had been funnelling wide-body traffic through congested southern corridors, adding up to 90 minutes to East-West sectors and forcing last-minute crew and hotel changes. Forwarders estimate that each diverted Doha-Dubai freight flight cost shippers US $12,000 in additional fuel and over-flight fees. Normalisation also re-opens the UAE’s role as a regional hub for reconstruction traffic into Iraq and humanitarian lift to Lebanon. Qatar Airways and Kuwait Airways said they would reinstate full schedules on 10 May, while low-cost carrier flydubai plans to restore 28 suspended rotations this week, contingent on airport slot approvals in Tehran and Baghdad. Insurers have already signalled that war-risk premiums on aircraft transiting UAE airspace will drop from 6 % of hull value to the pre-crisis level of 1.2 %. Business travellers can expect a rapid return of connection banks at DXB and AUH. Emirates will relaunch its pre-6 am Europe-Asia “golden wave” from 5 May, reinstating same-day links that are critical for energy, finance and consulting firms moving staff between London, Frankfurt, Mumbai and Singapore. Mobility managers should nevertheless monitor duty-of-care advisories; the GCAA warned it will “not hesitate to re-impose targeted measures” if intelligence assessments change. HR specialists should update travel policies to remove the mandatory buffer nights that many companies introduced during the crisis. They should also remind assignees that, under UAE federal law, overstaying a visa because of flight cancellations is no longer automatically excused now that unrestricted departures are available.
